The speed read: In the last 12 months, we have….
- Delivered 1156 yoga sessions! For over 2000 different people in Kirklees.
- Collaborated with over 50 charities, social enterprises, and community groups and centres.
- Launched our first specialist training for yoga teachers: ‘Teaching Yoga to Adults with Learning Disabilities’.
- Developed and delivered a unique workshop for healthcare professionals and carers: ‘Breathe, Move, Connect: Introducing the Principles of Yoga’.
- Created the Umbrella Yoga Professionals Network.
- Published 3 feature articles, and delivered 5 workshops in London, Sheffield, and right here in Huddersfield.
- Received 15 grants from local and national funding bodies.
- Developed our Workplace Wellbeing opportunities – workshops planned for 2026.
- Grown our team – with 4 new board members, 2 teaching staff, and 1 volunteer officially joining the crew.
2025: our impact in numbers.
Nearly half of our 1156 yoga sessions this year were open to all, community yoga sessions. Over 350 sessions this year were for adults with learning disabilities, and 200 were for older adults and people with dementia. A smaller proportion (40) were for trauma survivors. Over 2000 unique individuals have joined us for yoga this year, with over 12,000 attendances in total.
Partnerships, collaborations, and cross-sector support
Collaboration has always been a priority for us. We’re proud of the partnerships we’ve developed, and we work hard to establish long-term relationships that benefit both parties. Our sessions complement the vital work being done by our partners on a day-to-day basis— for example, providing a movement and breathwork activity, where our partners offer talking therapy and one-to-one support. This collaborative spirit has allowed us to work with over 50 partners in Kirklees this year, greatly enhancing our collective impact.
Training & Workshops: from idea to impact.
To expand our mission and build a culture where accessible yoga sessions are the norm, not the exception, we naturally wanted to share our approach and experience with other professionals.
Twelve months ago, our first training program for yoga teachers was still being developed, and our workshop for healthcare professionals was merely an idea. We’ve come a long way since then!
Specialist Training: We launched our first specialist program for yoga teachers, focusing on making yoga accessible to adults with learning disabilities. This course, which is accredited by Yoga Alliance, ran for the first time in June 2025, and the first cohort was very well received. Our second cohort begins in February 2026 – sign up here.
Workshops: Our workshop, titled ‘Breathe, Move, Connect: Introducing the Principles of Yoga’ was an idea hatched over coffee with our friend and consultant Emma Stripe (Learning Disabilities Nurse Speciali
st). With her encouragement, our training team (Alison Henning, Rachel Gosling and Ellie Firth) developed and delivered a 6-hour workshop to allied healthcare professionals and carers. This unique concept equips attendees with the skills and confidence to use yoga to support themselves and the people they work with. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re so looking forward to the next sessions in 2026! For more info, and to register, follow this link.
“Transformational. This has opened up new ways of using yoga, breathing, movement and connect in my work” – Umbrella Yoga Workshop participant, 2025.
Umbrella Yoga Professionals Network: launched! The introduction meeting took place in December, and we shared our plans for this knowledge-sharing, peer-support network, focused on the use of yoga techniques for adults with additional needs, and for those who support them. We have two fantastic speakers lined up for 2026, and we’ll be sharing specialist information across sectors – like this resource on The Sensory World and Autism, developed by the UY training team.
Sharing our Story
We’ve been busy leading talks and workshops at various events – from the Women in Business Huddersfield Giants, to an UnLtd social enterprise leaders event, and a One Community business networking event. With the help of a fantastic crew of volunteers with lived experience, we lead a workshop at the national Learning Disabilities conference with BILD, in March. We finished off our year of public speaking events at The Om Yoga Show in London, with Ellie showcasing how to make yoga classes accessible and inclusive for everyone.
- In Print: You can find our three printed articles from the year, all available to read here:
Evaluating Impact. We’ve been working with UnLtd to evaluate our Social Value across our service. Our first round of data is encouraging, and will be shared in full in 2026. For now, we can report qualitative feedback from our community yoga participants:
“Just feel so much better after the class. A spring in my step and clearer mind.”
This year we worked with Mencap in Kirklees to lead a service evaluation using physiologica
l markers to assess the impact of yoga (heart rate, blood oxygen levels, hand grip strength and gait). Results are still being analysed – bear with us and let us know if you’d like a copy of the report in your inbox.
Grants & Trading
It’s been a tough year for funding across the sector; with more people applying for fewer pots, there’s no doubt that grant income has been harder to come by than in previous years. Nevertheless, we’re enormously grateful to several funders who have believed in our vision and in our ability to deliver quality programs. A big Thank You to: One Community, Creative Minds, Sport England, The National Lottery, Scurrah Wainwright Trust, Get Sported, and Darkwoods Foundation.
In addition to income from our training and workshops, we funded our activities through:
- Donations: The small but regular donations truly add up and make a huge difference. These mostly come from people coming to our classes, but anyone can set it up via our website: DONATE. Thank you for giving what you can!
- Merch: We sold a lot of hoodies and T-shirts – we’ve got a range of styles now, and you should grab yours! hoodies and T-shirts!
- Events: We ran a series of special events this year, from Reggae Yoga to Nidra Yoga and Sound Baths. Keep an eye on our socials for updates on the next events. We’d love you to join us.
Workplace Wellbeing.
“Loved it. Can’t wait for the next session. Feel so much more able to cope with my day”. Hollybank Trust staff member – monthly sessions in their workplace
Alida Gulamhussein has stepped into the driving seat for our workplace wellbeing. This year, we’ve led 17 sessions supporting staff in businesses to access better health and wellbeing, through yoga, at work. Feedback has been fantastic, but we’d like to expand! If you or anyone you know might like to host a series of yoga sessions in the workplace, get in touch to find out more. We’re offering not ‘just’ yoga – but also mindful movement, sound baths, and nervous system ‘reset’ workshops.
“What a wonderful, uplifting part of the day your session was. I just LOVED it!” Huddersfield Giants conference day attendee who joined a taster yoga session.
Our People: The Heart of Umbrella Yoga
Last, but most definitely not least, our staff, committee, and volunteers – the engine of our CIC.
- Farewells & New Faces: We said a huge thank you to Pollyanna Steiner for her incredible contribution; she’s been at the forefront of the committee and teaching team for nearly three years now, and has left a lasting impact on our community. We’ve welcomed two wonderful teaching staff, Bernadette Culhanne and Penny Lucker, both of whom grew from volunteers into key members of our teaching team.
- New Guidance: We welcomed four new board members— Richard Cox, Dean Dawson, Petronella Katona-Washington and Carrianne Lackie – each bringing unique expertise and energy to our table. They join our existing Chair – Anna Riddell-Roberts – and two Executive Directors – Ellie Firth and Rachel Gosling – on the Board. We anticipate great things in 2026 under their guidance!
- The Volunteer Journey: We’ve welcomed Sally to our team of volunteers, and with Bernadette now leading the charge as Volunteer Lead, 2026 will see the formalisation of roles for our volunteers with learning disabilities. Watch this space!
What’s Coming in 2026?
We’re expanding into Calderdale! The geographical expansion has been on the cards for a while, but we wanted to make sure we could make it work. I know we can – and we’ll be kick-starting our program with some community yoga sessions in Mixenden Activity Centre (just outside Halifax).
We’re launching new options and a variety of workshops for supporting wellbeing and mental health in the workplace – and offering our client companies a chance to ‘pay forward’ that support to people in their communities.
We’ve got plans for more training, more workshops, more Professional Network meetings, and most importantly – more yoga. Bring on 2026.
